When it comes to revitalizing a town, the consensus belief is that there can never be enough food, drink, and entertainment options. In Lansdale Borough, which has seen its share of pandemic-era business turnover, the business community appears to be rebounding with newcomers like The Healthy Shack, Escapopolis, Hair N’Abstract, and Classic Game Junkie joining the downtown fold.
Joining those businesses will soon be a new upscale dining experience — and that experience will be found at a very familiar, already-existing location.
In an exclusive interview with North Penn Now, Round Guys co-owner Scott Rudich has announced that JGCE LLC — who currently operates and manages destination restaurants in Harleysville’s Butcher and Barkeep and Souderton’s Northbound — has been hired to manage a new upscale restaurant tentatively called “The Round House,” located at the current location of the Round Guys Brewing Company taproom on South Wood Street.
With brewing operations fully moved to the Reporter building in recent years, Round Guys is going to renovate and remodel their current space into a 90-seat restaurant with eyes on a mid-to-late January launch.
“The old brewing space will be opened up to become additional restaurant seating. There will be an additional bathroom, new windows in the back and booths installed,” Rudich said. “As for the current dining area everyone is familiar with, there will be booths installed, new floor, paint and the general décor will be updated.”
“The overall ambiance of the current Round Guys taproom set up is somewhere between neighborhood bar and 11-year-old brewery,” Rudich continued. “The design team from JGCE wanted to bring an updated vibe to Lansdale’s oldest brewery to make the interior look a little more modern up with the times.”
JGCE’s input won’t be limited to the interior design and expanded seating, though. In fact, they’ll be designing an entirely new menu, as well as a new, comprehensive wine and cocktail experience.
“Our food program has been an ever-evolving journey at Round Guys and the updates we made to the menu post-COVID have been well received. JGCE wants to take that experience further,” Rudich said. “I don’t know what the menu will look like yet. That has not been finalized, but I expect it to be in line with what is served at Northbound and Butcher and Barkeep. Additionally, Round House will be the go-to place for wine and cocktails in the borough. JGCE has a proven track record creating elevated drinks, working exclusively with local providers like Boardroom Spirits and Pinnacle Ridge Winery. I expect a large selection beyond what Round Guys currently offers.”
Rudich, who recently stepped back from the day-to-day operations to focus on the brewing side of the business, said he and fellow owners Bill McGeeney and Brian Derbyshire had taken the food and drink operation as far as they could go, and realized partnering with a proven commodity like JGCE was their best option to move forward. Doing so would also allow the trio of owners to focus on what they love: brewing beer.
“With my focus divided between the pub and the brewery, often both suffered,” Rudich said. “But with Round Guys ownership being able to focus solely on brewing out of the Reporter building, more resources can be devoted to the sours, brett, and barrel-aged beers that I love to make.”
While the operations, menu, cocktail and wine programs will be handed over to JGCE, Rudich said Round Guys will maintain control over the beers offered at the new restaurant. He said guests can expect more variety on the menu with seasonal variations, as well as a more cohesive beer release schedule on the brewing side.
“We have full control over the beer and seltzer program at the pub, and with the increase in wines and cocktails that we expect, it allows us to experiment a little bit more,” Rudich said.
But what does that mean for the regular — and often rebellious — events that Round Guys holds annually, like drag shows, block parties, and Punk Rock Flea Markets? Have no fear, Rudich said, as those shows will still go on — either in Round House itself, the Reporter building or the parking lot.
“I will probably have to say this 2,000 times: the JGCE folks want to keep as many great things about Round Guys in place as possible,” Rudich said. “Anything that we did in the parking lot will continue to stay in the parking lot. We also have an agreement to host activities at the Round House after prime dinner hours.”
Additionally, Rudich expects much of his staff to continue on under the new management, including customer favorites in Dave, Cath, Rachel and Collin.
“I’m also not going anywhere, and with my focus only on the brewery, you might see more of me,” Rudich said. “And I’ll be smiling a lot more.”
For updates on the renovations, menu, and relaunch, click here.
See also:
Round Guys to Host Anniversary Party Celebrating 10 Years in Lansdale Borough
Round Guys: A Year of Collaborations
Round Guys: As Simple as Peanut Butter and Jelly
Round Guys: Alcohol Ink Artist to Design Gimme Seltzers
